“Being a crane operator is like a writer, you sit all day”, guest of Firn Frontignan, Julien Guerville comes to present “Droséra”

Julien Guerville est l'invité du Firn Frontignan en cette fin de semaine. – Andrea Mantovani

Julien Guerville, the author of "Droséra", leads a literary walk at the Frontignan International Black Novel Festival, Saturday April 20, at 10:30 a.m. in the Villeveyrac mine.

Your novel, Drosera, begins with a precise description of the work of a crane operator in a port. Where did you do your research ?

I didn’t leave my office. I just picked up a few technical elements from the job to give body to my text, but then I just imagined what it could be. Finally, being a crane operator is like a writer, you sit all day. Besides, the back pain I'm talking about is a bit mine (laughs).

The story takes place in the port town of Poghorn, which does not exist. You place it where on the planet, you?

Nowhere. Maybe a little to the North because it often snows. But I like readers to make up their own mind about the location. This city, of which I have a map at home, has its own geography, but it’s good that people make it their own.

The central theme of your novel is the disappearance of a child, then others. Has a particular news item inspired you??

I'm not a big reader of news. In terms of inspiration, it would rather be the film Prisonnier by Denis Villeneuve which is a bit dated now. I really wanted to make a thriller on this theme, to carry out an investigation. But the mechanics of the thriller are always a bit the same. One person investigates throughout the book and when it's over, it's over. There, I wanted to break the rules a little (especially at the end, but we won't say more, Editor's note). And finally throughout Poghorn's universe it became a noir novel, a social novel.

The children are, in fact, from the poor neighborhoods of the "natives", backed by the old gold mines. And he has a big divide with the rich colonists…

Effectively. I wrote this book a long time ago. And when I see that the extreme right is using the term “native” more and more, it bothers me. Let's move on. But the relationships between the natives and the settlers of Poghorn are part of the environment of the city. This was the case in my first novel which took place not far from Poghorn. This will be the case in the third, which comes out in May. Besides, in Droséra, I had fun evoking characters from the first novel.

Free but with registration

The literary stroll of the Frontignan International Black Novel Festival, in the company of Julien Guerville, takes place on Saturday April 20 from 10:30 a.m. in Villeveyrac. The loop will be 3 km (dress accordingly). This event is completely free but you must register on 04 67 18 54 92 or culture@frontignan.fr.
Note that Friday April 19, Julien Guerville will be welcomed for a meeting with readers at the Librairie nomade in Balaruc-les-Bains (8, rue Maurice Clavel), at 6 p.m.

Will this be the case in the third?

No, there is no one from the second one. On the other hand, there is a dog from the first one (laughs).

The Firn organization likes to make the landscape match the atmosphere of the novel. This could be in the port of Sète or in the Villeveyrac mine which was chosen. This will be a first for you?

This will be my first literary stroll. I'm very happy to do this. This is going to be nice. I am in the process of selecting the passages that will fit the setting.

Droséra, by Julien Guerville, published by Calmann Lévy, 301 pages, 19.90 € I subscribe to read more